Chest protectors are generally worn by motocross participants, “BMX” participants, participants in other active sports, as well as participants in contact sports such as football, hockey and lacrosse. Traditional chest protectors used for motocross are generally designed to protect the participant's chest, back, shoulders and clavicles from flying debris, from injury during a fall or a crash, contact with other participants, and the like.
Recently, new safety gear has been introduced to motocross and other active sports to better protect participants. One of the more significant safety devices that have been introduced in recent years are neck braces that protect the participant's head from high velocity forward movement (i.e. towards the chest) and rearward movement (i.e. towards the back), as these movements are a leading cause of spinal and head injuries. These neck braces include structure that extends downwardly from the neck along the upper chest and upper neck to support the neck and limit movement. Commercially available neck braces are sold, for example, by Alpinestars and Troy Lee Designs (under the brand name “LEATT”).
Unfortunately, conventional chest protectors are not necessarily compatible with these neck braces. In particular, the use of conventional chest protectors in combination with these neck braces may cause the neck brace to not fit properly due to the positioning of structure extending from the neck brace relative to the chest and back shields included on many chest protectors, and/or due to the presence of clavicle or shoulder caps that interfere with structure on the neck brace that is intended to rest on the clavicle of the participant. This, in turn, may cause the neck brace to rest too high on the participant and/or cause the chest protector to fit improperly or uncomfortably in order to accommodate neck brace extensions.
As a result, participants have either opted not to wear either the chest protector or the neck brace, or have worn both in an ill-fitting manner. In either case, the safety and/or comfort of the participant may be impacted.